The Cowboys have a big class of free agents they want to keep together, and that doesn’t just apply to Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray.
Both offensive play-caller Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli are in the last years of their contracts (as is head coach Jason Garrett), but team vice president Stephen Jones said he wants to keep them all.
“The goal of ours is to keep this group together,” Jones said, via Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s one of the best staffs, if not the best staff, we’ve had since we’ve owned the team when you look at the overall staff.
“Obviously we’d like to keep everybody here, but at the same time, we also respect if people get an opportunity to get a head coaching job. You obviously have to let those guys have their chance. If not, certainly our goal is to keep everybody.”
Linehan’s name has been linked with the Oakland job, though he said he hadn’t “heard anything” about their interest. He also said he wouldn’t pursue any jobs until the season ended, which is nice of him but largely a moot point since the Cowboys didn’t have a bye week for him to interview during.
“I tell you what, I love being an assistant coach here,” Linehan said. “I truly believe in what we’re doing here and the players we have here and, anything personal beyond that, you reflect when the season is over.
“But right now, I’m having the time of my life coaching here.”
Keeping the coaching staff together would be a smart move, for a team that finally broke out of their perpetual 8-8 to win the NFC East and make the divisional round of the playoffs. It’s the kind of move mature, stable organizations make, like drafting good offensive linemen instead of local-hero quarterbacks they don’t need.
Wait a minute, this is still Dallas we’re talking about, right? (Goes to splash cold water on face.)